Welcome to Darren Daly on demand, your most trusted resource to help you become better every day.

Here's your success mentor, Darren Hardy.

Have you ever felt like a misfit in a society obsessed with fitting in?

Have you ever been labeled a troublemaker for questioning authority,

asking questions, or proposing preposterous ideas? If so, this message is for you.

As you know, the tagline to our company here is, be the exception. This came from my dad.

He'd say, don't just do what others do. Don't be a follower. Be the exception. I was very fortunate that

my dad made being the exception a badge of honor. It was okay to be a nonconformist, a misfit,

a maverick, a rebel, even troublemaker for the right reason. This is a very countercultural

idea, counter to our very instincts as a social tribe species. You see, society functions

on conformity. It's easier to manage, predict, and control. But there's a dark downside. It stifles

creativity, suppresses individuality, and demonizes those who dare to be different. Think about our

education system. It's a breeding ground for

uniformity, where success is measured by the ability to memorize and regurgitate what you're told,

rather than to think critically and creatively. It's literally standardized testing. To those of us who

are different, as a human being in a social tribe species, this can be very psychologically troubling, troubling for both the individual human being and for the collective societal tribe dealing with the different human being.

I understand the challenge of civil society, of the school system as a whole.

There is a need for society's functionality and coherence,

and it can be extremely challenging for a school system

to accommodate and nurture nonconformity.

But we also need to encourage and nurture individual differences,

critical thinking, and the courage to challenge conventional wisdom.

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